Bars where Pete has had a drink

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

#2635 - Maple Falls Cafe, Maple Falls, WA - 10/11/2014

Sam Hassan is an interesting guy. He's founded restaurants in South America, in London, and Seattle. In the latter he founded a couple Brazilian restaurants followed by Paratii Craft Cocktails in Ballard, before moving north to the decidely non-urban community of Maple Falls Washington -- population 324. There, above the North Fork of the Nooksack River, and 5 miles south of the Canadian border, he created a distillery that makes a smokey bourbon, a smokey rye, and a smokey rum, and ran a tiny restaurant called the Maple Falls Cafe.

I have to confess to chuckling as we approached the place on the side of the Mount Baker Highway and saw a readerboard message about "amazing cocktails." But our fear of flavored vodka monstrosities quickly disappeared as we reviewed the menu of Brazilian fusion choices mixed with classic American comfort foods, and asked the server a few questions about cocktails. Sam quickly made his way from the kitchen and was very involved in understanding our tastes, providing us samples, and making some excellent cocktails to go with our fine meals.

The Maple Falls Cafe is now gone, but you can still enjoy Sam's engaging personality and surprisingly sophisticated food and drinks just 8 miles down the highway. He took over Milano's Italian Restaurant in Glacier, and added Bar Veneto. It is far from our beaten tracks, but we are eager to try it the next time we are anywhere close to the area.